unpleasantness

noun

un·​pleas·​ant·​ness ˌən-ˈple-zᵊnt-nəs How to pronounce unpleasantness (audio)
1
: the quality or state of being unpleasant
2
: an unpleasant situation, experience, or event

Examples of unpleasantness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Retrograde Mercury picks a fight with Uranus, ruler of weirdness, provoking an eruption of unexpected unpleasantness in your life, and then the Sun partners up with Mercury in a temporary flare of stubborn self-delusion. Jennifer Culp, Them, 9 Aug. 2024 The big picture: No entrepreneur enjoys fundraising, but there's a special unpleasantness for generative AI founders who need billions of dollars to train their models. Dan Primack, Axios, 5 Aug. 2024 Twice during the approximately 90-minute session of filibustering, chaotic press questioning, and overall unpleasantness, the microphone feedback sent shudders through the hearts of the some 100 reporters packed into a sweaty room. Sean Gregory / Paris, TIME, 5 Aug. 2024 In this three-part anthology, Lanthimos triples down on the unpleasantness that got him Oscar nominations and festival-circuit praise for The Favourite and Poor Things — films set outside his Greek background that yet exhibit his art-movie temerity. Armond White, National Review, 21 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for unpleasantness 

Word History

First Known Use

1546, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unpleasantness was in 1546

Dictionary Entries Near unpleasantness

Cite this Entry

“Unpleasantness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unpleasantness. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on unpleasantness

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!